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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-08-28 Agenda Review NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BOOK 36 AGENDA REVIEW, AUGUST 28, 2025 PAGE 628 ASSEMBLY The New Hanover County Board of Commissioners met on August 28, 2025, at 4:00 p.m. for Agenda Review in Conference Rooms 138-139 at the New Hanover County Government Center, 230 Government Center Drive, Wilmington, North Carolina. Members present: Chair Bill Rivenbark; Vice-Chair LeAnn Pierce; Commissioner Dane Scalise; Commissioner Stephanie A.C. Walker; and Commissioner Rob Zapple. Staff present: County Manager Chris Coudriet; Clerk to the Board Kymberleigh G. Crowell; and County Attorney K. Jordan Smith. Chair Rivenbark called the Agenda Review meeting to order, explaining that the purpose was to review and discuss agenda items for the September 2, 2025 Regular Meeting. However, the Board would first hear a staff update. APPROVAL OF SCHOOL NURSE POLICY RESTORATION: ENSURING STUDENT HEALTH AND SAFETY Vice-Chair Pierce requested a discussion on school nurses, citing recent conversations and public input. Commissioners Zapple, Rivenbark, and Walker voiced support, emphasizing student health and safety and noting the importance of nurses beyond the pandemic. Vice-Chair Pierce clarified that before COVID, the County funded nurses at state standards, with federal relief funds temporarily providing a nurse in every school. She stressed this was not a budget cut but the expiration of one-time funding. County Manager Coudriet confirmed the nurses are County employees funded by the County. Vice-Chair Pierce assured the Board had heard residents’ concerns, and Commissioner Zapple said he would move to approve the funding. MOTION: Commissioner Zapple MOVED, SECONDED by Vice-Chair Pierce to restore to the COVID era the nurse in every school policy the County had at that time, while looking forward to budgeting for it in the future. The county manager and chief financial officer shall have the discretion to decide the appropriate funding source. In discussion on the motion on the floor, Commissioner Walker commented on Vice-Chair Pierce’s reference to state standards, noting that they are often inadequate and do not meet the needs of public schools. Vice-Chair Pierce acknowledged the point but emphasized that the County had operated under state standards for many years prior to COVID. County Manager Coudriet responded to inquiries, noting that while the County sometimes exceeded the state standard, there had never been a nurse in every school before COVID. Instead, the expectation was that a nurse would be available across schools, but full-time placement at each school began only with pandemic funding. There being no further discussion, Chair Rivenbark asked for direction from the Board. Upon vote, MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. STAFF UPDATE County IT Solutions Manager Mike Arkinson and Senior IT Engineer Steve Konieczny presented the following demonstrations about Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Citizen Service Request Portal:  Citizen Service Request Web Portal:  A user-friendly online portal where citizens can easily submit, track, and manage service requests in one place.  Key benefits for citizens:  Simple and intuitive: Citizens can submit requests quickly using clear, guided forms that provide step-by-step instructions. This reduces confusion and ensures requests are complete and accurate.  Convenient: Users can upload photos, automatically detect their location, and enter addresses quickly. These features save time and make reporting issues easier than ever.  Transparent: Every request generates a confirmation and can be tracked online in real time. Citizens can see the status of their requests and follow the progress of their submissions.  Direct routing: Requests are automatically routed to the correct department. This ensures faster response times and removes the need for citizens to determine who to contact.  Key benefits for staff:  Centralized system: All requests from calls, messages, and in-person visits are managed in a single Salesforce-based platform. Staff have a comprehensive view of every interaction in one place, making it easier to coordinate and respond efficiently.  Smarter workflows: Geographic Information System (GIS) integration verifies addresses, confirms jurisdiction, and routes requests to the correct teams. Service data, including past visits and outcomes, is tracked to support informed decisions.  Accountability: Complete access to request history, notes, and photos allows staff to act quickly and accurately. This reduces repeated calls, improves accountability, and increases overall responses.  Consistency: The system standardizes processes across departments, consolidates information, and ensures every request has a clear, documented record of service.  Portal benefits:  Citizens can submit requests and track progress in real time, making it easier to get help and ensuring their issues are addressed promptly. NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BOOK 36 AGENDA REVIEW, AUGUST 28, 2025 PAGE 629  Staff workflows are streamlined with automated routing, centralized data, and full access to request histories, enabling faster responses and more effective resource management.  Every request is logged, tracked, and reported, providing transparency and confidence in how county services are delivered.  Next steps:  County Planning uses the system internally and will soon publish new request options on the public portal.  Work has started with the Soil and Water District to bring requests it receives into the portal.  Meetings with additional departments are planned to expand participation with the Citizen Service Request Web Portal. Mr. Konieczny provided an overview of how citizens will submit a request. In response to questions, he explained that a soft launch had begun through the Engineering and Building Safety websites, with broader rollout planned after more services are added, and that eventually the portal will be linked from the County homepage. County Manager Coudriet noted the Board received an early look before promotion to the public. Vice-Chair Pierce commended staff’s work and asked about expanding AI use. County Manager Coudriet said staff are planning broader applications of AI technology for various departments. Hearing no further discussion, Chair Rivenbark moved the meeting into the review of the agenda items for the September 2, 2025 Regular Meeting. Consent Agenda Item #3: Release of the Levy for Tax Year 2015. In response to questions, Tax Administrator Allison Snell explained that unpaid personal property taxes stem largely from a discovery initiative conducted more than a decade ago. The initiative identified unlisted businesses, assessed values using comparable operations, and issued discovery notices with time for appeal. Unanswered notices left the bills on the books, and she confirmed the balances in the report are tied primarily to those earlier discoveries. Regular Agenda Item #7: Consideration of the Corning STEM Partnership Sponsorship of Cape Fear Museum "Science Matters" Gallery. Cape Fear Museum Donor Relations Director Kitty Yerkes provided a brief overview of the agenda item, noting that this is a new sponsorship with Corning. Regular Agenda Item #8: Rezoning Request (Z25-11) - Request by Samuel Potter with Equitas Law Partners LLP, applicant, on behalf of Golden Ventures I LLC to rezone approximately 5.18 acres zoned R-15, Residential located at 7715 Market St & 7718, 7740 Alexander Rd to (CZD) B-2, Regional Business and (CZD) R-5, Residential Moderate High Density for a convenience store with fuel stations, fast food restaurant with drive-thru, with row-style dwelling units. In response to questions, Senior Planner Zach Dickerson clarified that the site is not entirely concrete. He explained the ordinance requires preservation of trees in the street yard, with the condition ensuring compliance. He added that because the project includes residential units, transitional buffers must be provided between the row-style dwellings and the adjacent residential area to the east, and those trees will be retained. Regular Agenda Item #10: Special Use Permit (S24-04) - Multi-Family in B-2 - Request by Bayshore Townhomes, LLC, applicant, on behalf of Bee Safe Porters Neck, LLC, property owners, for a special use permit for a 62 unit multi-family development with 1,800 square feet of commercial space in a B-2, Regional Business district on a 3.21-acre parcel of land located at 8138 Market Street and Special Use Permit (S24-05) - Additional Dwelling Allowance - Request by Bayshore Townhomes, LLC, applicant, on behalf of Herbert Parham, property owner, for a special use permit for an Additional Dwelling Allowance for 242 row-style dwelling units in an R-15, Residential district on a 30.22-acre parcel of land located at the 8100 block of Market Street. In response to questions, County Attorney Smith noted the matter involves two special use permits, so the typical 15 minutes per side was doubled to create a single orderly process. ADJOURNMENT There being no further discussion, Chair Rivenbark adjourned the meeting at 4:35 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Kymberleigh G. Crowell Clerk to the Board Please note that the above minutes are not a verbatim record of the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners meeting. The entire proceedings are available online at www.nhcgov.com.